Work at South Abydos
The Abydos South Project concession includes the southernmost area of the ancient site of Abydos. The landscape here is dominated by the royal building projects of Ahmose I (c. 1550-1525 BCE), the first king of the New Kingdom and the legendary ruler who finally succeeded in expelling the foreign Hyksos power from the Delta and reuniting Egypt under single rule.
Here in Abydos, Ahmose embarked on a unique building project, undertaking construction across the desert from the valley to the high desert cliffs on a single line. These monuments comprise (from local east to west) a large stone pyramid with associate temples, a mudbrick pyramid in honor of his grandmother Tetisheri, an underground tomb chamber, and a temple cut into the cliffs (the Terrace Temple).
The Abydos South Project has so far focused work on the tomb of Ahmose, the area around the Ahmose Pyramid, and at the mudbrick pyramid of Tetisheri. Work in all these locations is ongoing, as well as future plans in other parts of the site.
As is true all over Abydos, this area includes remains from many other historic eras as well, though they are less well understood at this stage. Future excavations by the ASP will help us learn more!
View of south Abydos with ASP concession highlighted in brown (above)
Closer view of ASP concession with royal monuments highlighted.
conservation
Conservation of monuments and objects is one of the most important goals of the ASP.
The first major conservation project of the ASP focused on the mud brick pyramid built by Ahmose for his grandmother, Tetisheri, around 1500 BCE
Excavation and research
Excavation allows us to recover long lost monuments and materials in context, leading to exciting new discoveries and providing rich data sets for expanded research, contributing to new knowledge about ancient Egyptian society.
The ASP has conducted excavation in three main areas of the site thus far. Click below to read more about these projects.
Site Management
The ASP takes seriously our responsibility to protect and care for the site for now and for future generations.
Site management begins with protecting the site from damage and land loss, and continues through making the site and its monuments accessible to scholars and visitors.
Active and consistent fieldwork is one of the most effective protective measures for archaeological sites all over the world. This understanding drove the Egyptian Inspectors to found the ASP in 2018.
Along with our presence at the site, the ASP has devoted significant resources to clearing the site of dumped debris and building enclosure walls around the concession to prevent future traffic.
MoTA began the process of building site walls in 2011; in 2018 the ASP team continued the work. By 2022, the walls were complete, along with new guardhouses and a regular staff of around-the-clock guards. In upcoming seasons, the ASP will be expanding video monitoring at key points on the site. We have also engaged members of the community of Arabah to help protect the site.
Next steps incude installng weather-resistant signage and other amenities for visitors.
